Voices of Families at Team Meetings
Presentation
May 18, 2015
• Victor Medrano, CalWorks, FCS Linkages
• Carol Sentell-Bassett, Child Welfare Supervisor
• Danielle Bernardo, Child Welfare
San Francisco CalWORKs and Child Welfare Family Team
meetings
We work in partnership with families,
communities, tribes, and other
professionals and service providers
working with the family.
3 Different Ways we team in San Francisco
Team decision making meetings: to involve birth families and
community members along with resource families, service providers and HSA
staff, in all placement decisions, to ensure a network of support for the
children and the adults who care for them.
Family Team Meeting: always involves family members and is primarily
utilized for ongoing case planning, decision making and case progression.
Team members include mother and/or father, youth or child ( age
appropriate), the case carrying social worker, caregivers, and other
appropriate agency or community service providers.
Linkages Family Team Meeting: Open cases with families involved in
both FCS and CalWORKs program are considered “Linkages” cases. The
Linkages Family Team and Case Coordination Meeting is the initial process in
which FCS and CalWORKs coordinate and streamline the Court or non-Court
case plan, or the FR AB 429 Case Plan, together with the Welfare-to Work/
CalWORKs case plan. Other partner agency or community based organization
case plans may be included as well.
What is Linkages Family Team Meeting for Child Welfare and
CalWORks Staff in San Francisco
 The Linkages Case Coordination
meeting brings together a team
of expert support with the
family, for the family. Through
the meeting process, the
family’s case plans( FCS,
CalWORKs and others) are
coordinated and streamlined so
that the family’s success is
enhanced in meeting the goals
and timelines of many different
case plans.
The Building Blocks of SF Linkages
Teaming Practice
Why Linkages?
• Family Centered,
team driven
• Strength based
• Need driven
• Solution Focused
• Community Based
The Application of the Core Principles through Linkages
meetings as seen by CalWORKs and FCS staff
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Getting everyone on the same page
To provide financial support to families in the
Reunification process
To avoid duplication of services coming from
both programs
Bringing team of professionals who are subject
matter experts as an extension of the family’s
support network.
Families have can voice directly their concerns
and active role in the decision making process to
address their self-sufficiency and child safety
issues.
Allows greater operational efficiency by
coordinating services more effectively and
allocating tasks to all meeting participants
Internal cross-communication increases access
to existing material resources for families
involved with Child Welfare and CalWORKs.
The Application of the Core Principles through Linkages meetings
as seen by CalWORKs and FCS staff
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Address and reduce conflicting program requirements.
Clarify to the family roles and responsibilities of each
staff member and who is accountable for each action
item.
Providing a safety net and continuous services to
families after Child Welfare closes the case
Allows to conduct diligent efforts to ensure that basic
material needs are met via the Income Support
Programs, Child Welfare Services and or community
support.
Linkages Family Team Meetings, from a Safety Organized
Practice perspective ,functions as a tool to address
complicating factors such as homelessness, food, cash
aid and medical care. The Child Welfare staff does not
have direct access or control over those systems or
resources therefore, the Linkages meetings help the
Child Welfare Worker remove the barriers that prevent
the family from addressing the safety concerns.
•FAMILY PLAN SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
Family’s Challenges/Concerns
Parenting Support
Substance Abuse
Mental Health
Domestic Violence
Child Care
Family/Parent Responsibilities
PSW Responsibilities
CalWORKs Staff Responsibilities
(Include type of activity, location, etc.)
Attend & comply with all
recommended services:
Set up or make referral to:
Due Date
Child Behavior
Welfare to Work Sanction
Disability
Other:
Other:
Set up or make referral to:
Due Date
Visitation with child(ren)
Parenting Support @
Contact @ home with caregiver
Substance Abuse @ assessment
at HPP
Mental Health @ individual
therapy
Child Behavior @
Meeting with:
To discuss:
Pending
pending
Child Care @
Next Court date:
Other: supervised visitations –
once a week
pending
Absent parent involvement
Family therapy- in the future
pending
Other
Due Date
Client was informed that she can
apply for GA after client exhausts AB
429 grant
Exempt until:
4/14/15
Exemption type:
Client informed about what to do
regarding medical and food stamps
Set up CalWORKs/FR Services: cash
and fast pass depending on progress
as reported by PSW
Client was informed about 12 months
limitations of AB 429
4/14/15
Income verification and EBT card
4/14/15
5/1/15
4/14/15
Child care
Other: PSW to send monthly
x
Client informed about need
Referral to CalWORKs contracted services:
Check in emails to ES and LC
To make good progress in FR
Parenting support @
Stating whether client is engaged
Plan in month following review
Substance abuse @
Service or not.
Meeting.
Mental Health @
Domestic violence @
•Community-Based Organization Responsibilities:
CBO Name
CBO Representative
Plan/Next steps:
Due Date
•Parent/Guardian Signature PSW Signature CalWORKs Staff Signature
•Form 1163 Linkages Coordinated Family Plan 3/12
•2
Linkages – Monthly Meetings
Linkages January 2011-October 2014
160
147
135
140
117
120
100
89
2011
80
2012
60
2013
40
2014
20
0
Year
Linkages Meetings Jan 2011 to Dec 2014
50
45
42
41
40
36
35
33
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
2011
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2012
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2013
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2014
Q4
Linkages meetings held Jan 2011- Dec 2014
Year
2011
89
2012
135
2013
147
2014
151
Total:
522
2011
2012
2013
2014
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Linkages Meetings 16 18 24 31 36 30 35 34 35 43 37 32 41 36 33 42